This was the largest priestly ordination in recent years for the Jesuit Province of Indonesia.
Newsroom (August 23, 2021, 8:43 PM, Gaudium Press) Archbishop Robertus Rubiyatmoko of Semarang presided over a priestly ordination last Thursday, August 19. The ceremony, which ordained eight new Jesuit priests, took place in the church of St. Anthony of Padua in Yogyakarta, Central Java province.
This was the largest priestly ordination in recent years for the Jesuit Province of Indonesia. The new priests come from the following dioceses in the country: Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan; Pangkalpinang and Lampung on the island of Sumatra; Jakarta; and the Archdiocese of Semarang.
The new priests are called to be men of prayer
In his homily, Bishop Rubiyatmoko took the opportunity to remind the new priests that each of them “is called to be a man of the Church, a man of prayer and a man of evangelization.”
The Jesuit superior of the Indonesian Province, Father Benedictus Hari Juliawan, also gave an address. “As Jesuits and men called to a holy mission, each of you is expected to show a joyful heart and the spirit to carry out your task wherever you are sent,” he stressed.
Catholic Religious work in remote areas of the country
In the year 1910, lay missionaries from Shantou, coming from mainland China, introduced Christianity for the first time in the current Diocese of Ketapang. Since then, the region has been isolated due to poor roads, lack of electricity, and communication.
The secretary of the Diocese of Ketapang, Simon Yogatomo, warns that those going to Botong “must have a strong motivation and great value, both during the journey into the interior and to cross the river. It is necessary to carry two or three gallons of gasoline during the trip because there are no gas stations on the way.”
In these remote areas, the Augustinian nuns, the Brothers of Mary Immaculate, and the Jesuit priests work in the field of education so that the indigenous people do not have to leave and can stay in West Kalimantan. (EPC)